What WCM Vendors Did We Stop Covering?

In the most recent major update to RSG's Web Content & Experience Management technology evaluations, we added three new vendors to the list. Alas, we dropped three as well...

I say "alas" because we never like to see vendors fade — mostly because of the negative impacts on you the customer. But also there's a kind of sadness to see longtime players plateau or decline in a marketplace that's otherwise thriving.

Here's the three we discontinued.

Clickability

Clickability was arguably the first true SaaS-delivered WCM platform, born out of a widget provider for media sites that morphed a full-blown Web CMS platform. In the 2000s the firm suffered from some leadership changes — and its coupled architectural model probably also hurt in the media segment — so was unable to catch the digital wave. It's venture funders got impatient, and several corporate take-overs later, the vendor is a shell of what it used to be.

Ektron

I have a lot of sentimental affection for this vendor, one of the first to develop credible Cold Fusion and then .NET-based WCM platforms. Even as it grew to more than 300 employees, Ektron remained a kind of family-run concern, for better or worse. The firm couldn't deliver on an ambitious roadmap and ultimately got squashed in a private-equity take-over that's now attempting to disingenuously lure Ektron's customers to replace their WCM stack with Episerver.

Percussion

Another early innovator never really fulfilled its promise. Percussion built one of the first Java-based WCM systems with an assertively decoupled, high-code architecture. Some customers loved the idea, but too many customers disliked the execution. After multiple rumors of acquisitions in the early 2000s the company mostly excelled at spinning off Lotus and Domino management tools — something they're pursuing again.

Lessons for You

Should you worry about your incumbent WCM vendor? In all likelihood, no. This marketplace has seen more continuity than churn. (But in case you're worried and you're an RSG subscriber, check out this quiz.) All three of the vendors above are still alive and supporting their products; they're just not thriving enough for you to consider them anew.

We do see some of our larger enterprise subscribers still stuck with old-school WCM vendors. But increasingly these customers recognize their predicament and are crafting plans to escape to more modern toolsets. If we can help you too on this journey, please let us know.


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Gil, Partner, Cancentric Solutions Inc.
iStudio Canada Inc.

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